Madison Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Unlawfully Possessing Firearm

MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jontrae Larsen, 24, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 5 years in federal prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon. Larsen pleaded guilty to this charge on September 11, 2025.

On January 6, 2024, witnesses to a vehicle crash observed Larsen flee from one of the vehicles involved in the collision. Law enforcement eventually found Larsen and a Glock 17, Gen 5 handgun equipped with an extended magazine and loaded with 27 rounds of ammunition, including one round in the chamber. The firearm was also equipped with a machinegun conversion device. Larsen’s DNA was recovered on multiple parts of the firearm, and law enforcement also found evidence of Larsen’s gun possession on his phone.

A machinegun conversion device is an illegal after-market device that converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully functioning machinegun. A handgun with a machinegun conversion device is extremely dangerous, even for experienced firearms users, because it is difficult to control and is capable of firing 50 rounds in four seconds with a single pull of the trigger.

Larsen has a prior state conviction for first degree recklessly endangering safety. As a convicted felon, Larsen is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson expressed disappointment that Larsen returned to criminal behavior so soon after he was released from state prison, and he attributed Larsen’s return to crime to negative social influences and a lack of maturity. Judge Peterson found Larsen’s possession of a machinegun particularly concerning due to Larsen’s history of impulsive decisions, terrible judgment, and substance abuse. Judge Peterson said a substantial sentence was also warranted given the automatic firing capacity of the firearm.

The charge against Larsen was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF and task force officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Ayala prosecuted this case.

Federal criminal cases involving firearms are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the U.S. Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).